Five Reasons
by tehsecretardor
Summary: When Elie’s body starts feeling the strain of Etherion after the final Rave is completed, the others start to worry. Now on her deathbed, Haru tries to revive her in the only way he knows how – with words. Tons of spoilers. Beware.


Five Reasons

Summary: When Elie's body starts feeling the strain of Etherion after the final Rave is completed, the others start to worry. Now on her deathbed, Haru tries to revive her in the only way he knows how – with words. [Tons of spoilers. Beware.]

~x~

_Date: 09-01-0067  
Time: Hell if I know  
Place: My bedroom._

_Elie finally finished the Rave, so now all we have to do is reach this town that Shuda and Miloch are sure hasn't been affected by Lucia yet. The bastard. Can't he try to blow up the damn world without stealing everyone's memories? Or kissing Elie? You know, I'm pretty sure that you don't need to kiss Elie in order to get rid of the world. Just a theory._

_Lately, Elie's been really fragile, like she'll fall apart if you push her over. I'm worried about her. Maybe Shuda and Let were right…maybe Etherion is just too much for any one person to handle. Though, she managed pretty damn well I think._

_Musica told me that I need to 'fucking confess to Elie or he'd do it for me.' Whatever the hell that even means. Don't they know that Elie and I _can't_ be together?! I mean…I could give five reasons right now as to why we couldn't!_

_To start with, she might be Elie to me, but I can't ignore the fact that she's Resha Valentine, and Resha Valentine was born in the year 10000. I was born in the year 10050. Catch my drift? It just screams pedophilia._

_Another reason, she's my best friend. My very best friend! And I heard somewhere (probably from Sis, in one of her pearls of wisdom) that you shouldn't fall for your best friend. Things never work out that way._

_Well, to be blunt here, I don't have the time I guess you need to devote to a girlfriend. And, I can't full on protect her the way she needs in this battle._

_Every time I imagine kissing her (and I have a couple times before, hormonal creep I am) I see Lucia. Do you know what it's like to want to kiss a girl and see the dude you hate staring back at you? It's just creepy._

_It would be a bit of an insult to Sieg and Shiba. I mean, Shiba loved Elie (er, well, Resha) and it kept him going for 50 years to save the planet! And Sieg…Sieg gave his life to make sure she got back to the year 0067, and then he protected her for 52 years. I couldn't do that to them._

_There! Five reasons why Elie and I would never work out. Ah, I think I hear Musica calling, so I gotta spilt!_

_Haru Glory_

The world seemed to be spinning. The small notebook dropped out of Elie's hand and she stumbled back, clutching a spot just above her left breast. Pain seemed to be wracking through her, and she was dimly aware that it was not only in her heart. She didn't care. Elie felt tears seeping through her wall of defense, and she grabbed onto the door to steady herself.

Voices from the others above suddenly filled her hearing. Everyone was talking, chatting idly without a care in the world. Elie wished she could be up there.

"What's your sister like, Haru-san?" Belnika was asking.

"My sister? Oh, well, she's like…" Haru replied, droning on about his beloved sister.

"Ugh. Seriously, if Haru doesn't man up, someone else will," Musica muttered to somewhere. Elie wanted to shout out that he didn't have anything to confess, but all that came out was a strangled groan.

"Definitely. Speaking of which, has anyone seen Elie lately?" Julia asked. Suddenly, Elie's body kicked into gear, steadying itself automatically and heading for the deck. Sweat had popped out on her body, but Elie hadn't noticed.

Everything seemed so…bright. Had the walls always been that silver? No, they had been gray on the way down, right? Elie stumbled to the door of the deck, freezing in her steps at what she saw.

Haru was talking with Belnika in the same place that he had spoke to her, right before they reached Symphonia, and he was smiling, spreading his arms wide as he talked. Next to him, Belnika was laughing and gazing at him with an expression so loving, so sickly caring, Elie had to wonder how Haru had even missed it.

"Elie?" someone asked from her right. Automatically, she turned and looked right into Let's eyes. For a second, they widened in shock before rushing over to her. "Are you OK?"

Again, Elie tried to speak, but all that came out was another strangled moan. Suddenly, she felt her legs give way and the floor beneath her. The pain that had been coursing through her was so intense, so mind-numbing, Elie wondered if she'd ever survive it.

Cries of her name filled the air, but Elie did not open her eyes. "Someone get an ice-pack!" Julia was screaming, placing a cool hand over her forehead. "Jesus fucking Christ, I meant now!"

"E-Elie?" Haru asked from next to her. At the sound of his voice, Elie felt tears spring from her eyes and drip down her cheek, landing on the deck. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, picking her up.

Elie wanted to scream at him to get his hands off her. To put her down and go talk to Belnika again, but she couldn't even make that weird, strangled groaning sound. She felt the air around her moving for a little, and then her back hit a soft surface.

"It has to be the effect of Etherion," Shuda whispered from over her. A cool pack hit her forehead, but it was not nearly enough to still the raging heat through her body. "Resha Valentine may not have died from overusing it, but she certainly felt effects like this."

Others were bustling around her, trying to cool her down. If she could talk, Elie would have told them to just let her die. Oh, but wait, she needed to use Etherion in order to stop Lucia. Well, if she stayed in this condition, which definitely wasn't happening.

"Haru."

"What?"

"Get out of the way."

"Go around."

"No, I mean get out of the room."

"Not happening."

"Move or I'll throw you out."

"I'm not leaving until Elie wakes up and tells me to."

Silence, then the bustling continued. She felt ice over nearly every inch of her body, but it wasn't helping. Ice couldn't cure what she had. Elie wanted to wake up, just to tell them it was pointless. She could feel the Etherion in her body surging through her veins, nearly suffocating her. What they were doing was pointless – she wasn't waking up until the Etherion calmed down.

It stayed quiet for a while, minus footsteps and the door closing. People would occasionally mutter worriedly over her, but nothing was distinguishable. Days passed, but Elie was convinced that it had only been seconds.

"Elie…?" Haru asked suddenly, his voice cutting holes in her chest. "Elie, you read my journal, didn't you?"

If Elie could even talk, she wouldn't have known what to say to that. An accusation was hidden beneath that question, and Elie waited for the reprimand.  
"Did you read every entry, or just a couple pages?"

She hadn't needed to read any more than she had. Elie knew how he felt, and that was enough. Because of what he had written, the young girl found herself wishing for the very first time in her life that Sieg Hart had been right about her when he was trying to kill her; she wanted to be a creation, a thing with numbers instead of a name.

If she hadn't been born in the year 10000, Haru might still love her.

"Did you read the first entry, Elie? It was right after we left Punk Street, and you were sleeping so I decided to start a journal with a notebook I found at Musica's place. I wrote all about you; about how we met because you pushed me under your table with your legs and how I could clearly see your panties because you were smooshing my face between your knees. I mean, did you really think I wouldn't see them?

"I also said how beautiful you were, and how I felt after I managed to protect you from Lance's sword, just at the last second. I dunno if you'll believe this, but I felt so great after that happened. I felt like I really could lead the world to peace, all because of your expression when I landed from the ceiling and deflected his sword."

Elie listened to him rant for a while longer, biting down the pain that had been coursing through her body. Half of her believed him, but the other half refused to listen fully. He was lying, it said, to make sure you wake up and do your job of destroying Endless.

His words were getting farther and farther away, but Elie did nothing to try and bring them closer. She had stopped caring what he had written about when she remembered the last entry. Suddenly, her whole hearing went as though someone had shoved cotton balls in her ears, and she started to panic.

"Guys! G-guys come quickly! Something isn't right!" Haru cried. Elie was very dimly aware of more ice hitting her body, but everything seemed to melt faster than it could cool her down.  
Footsteps came thundering towards her, and cries of panic filled the air. Elie tried to fight through the haze – she wanted to hear what they were saying. She needed to know that they still cared, that they still gave a damn about her after all this time.

Elie wanted to live. Whether or not Haru felt the same about her was irrelevant now. He didn't have to love her – it would hurt, sure, but she didn't need it. All Elie needed was that cheerful smile, and for him to be there when all she wanted to do was be alone.

"Elie…Elie…" Haru was muttering, his voice closer than any other. "Please, don't d-die." Was she dying? Was Etherion going to kill her, in the way people thought it killed Resha?

Saga had said she would die. Though, he had said after the War, she'd die. This wasn't very comforting, considering she was going to die soon.

"Haru, get off her! You won't help her if you keep on clinging on her!" Musica snapped.

"Get off of me!" Haru screamed, his voice breaking. Silence fell over everyone, and all Elie could hear was Haru's sobs. "Elie," he muttered again.

This time, she could feel a hand stroking her cheek softly. "I love you, Elie. So much," he whispered now. Suddenly, she felt a new sort of warmth on her forehead, warmth so soft and gentle she couldn't believe that it was there.

Haru Glory had just kissed her forehead.

Suddenly, all the pain returned. Elie hadn't even known it was gone, actually, but it must have been, for it went searing through her whole body. Hearing came back to her, and then the lights. They had never been so bright before, and her eyes weren't even open!

Her eyes cracked open, then shut again tightly – it was blinding! The others fell silent, including Haru's sobs. Slowly, Elie turned her head, trying to shake away the blinding lights. That little motion caused even more pain to shoot through her body, and she groaned.

"It…hurts…" she moaned. Elie was actually rather surprised at how weak and broken her voice sounded – how long had she been out?

The others kicked into gear, bustling around her; Haru being the exception. He was staring down at her in such a loving expression; Elie couldn't help but look away. "I knew you wouldn't die on me," he whispered, wiping away some tears as they started to fall.

"Sss…orry," Elie muttered, her eyes drooping. Haru's smile slipped off his face and he grabbed her shoulders so suddenly, she flinched away.

Another throb of pain went through her arms as he squeezed them tightly. "Don't close your eyes! Don't you dare slip away again!" he said in a tortured voice. Tears were falling from his purple eyes again, and Elie didn't dare move. "I can't lose you, Elie, I just can't."

"Haru, let go of her; you'll hurt her even more than she's already hurt," Let said, trying to pull him free. Haru shook his head, tears splattering over Elie and the bed. Let did not give up, however, and Elie flinched as his nails dug into her shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself, Haru!"

The Rave Master continued shaking his head, gripping Elie for dear life. "I'm not leaving her! If I leave, she might never come back!" he cried. Let froze, as did the entire group. Elie had been the one to sit with Haru as he cried after Gale died, and they had never seen him break down like this before. Sure, he had cried when Sieg died, and when Shiba died, but Elie had always been the only one there.

"He…he can…ssssstay," Elie said, smiling softly. Let nodded, releasing him. Haru wiped his eyes, staring down at her. Elie stared back up, feeling the pain beginning to subside. It was slow, but Elie could almost move her fingertips now.

Julia continued with the ice, sighing in relief. "I honestly thought we'd lose you, Elie," she said, smiling down at her. "You've been out for five days. We're just about to reach a town when Miloch is positive the Stellar Dust hasn't reached yet, then we shove off right after we spend a night celebrating."

"Don't you ever scare us like that again, doll," Musica called from the other end of the room, "It's bad enough that we lost Sieg and Shiba. We don't need to lose you too." Elie smiled a bit wider, holding back a grimace of pain.

They continued to work with her, giving her pain meds, and taking her temperature constantly. "Guys," Haru said after a bit, having never left her side, "can I talk to Elie alone for a bit?" They all exchanged a look, but agreed. "Thanks."

Julia leaned over Elie to glare at Haru, "Don't you dare let her slip away again. If you do, I'll kill you. Rave Master or not," she told him quietly, and then left with Let and Musica. Haru chuckled, waiting until they had closed the door to scoot closer.

"I missed you, Elie," he whispered, pulling some strands free from her forehead. "The only time I left was when Julia and Belnika decided to give you a bath. That's when…when I found my journal, lying on the floor. You read it, didn't you?"

Elie felt her heart race. "Y-yeah," she muttered, trying to get that pathetic tone out of her voice. She needed to be strong – for Haru.

Haru chuckled again, stroking her cheek. "But you didn't read all of it." It wasn't a question, so Elie didn't reply. "Which entry did you read?"

"The…late…est one," she answered finally, looking away. She hadn't closed her eyes for longer than a blink, true to her word, but she sure wished she would now. Elie didn't want to see his face when he told her that he meant every word.

To her surprise, Haru leaned in, his lips finding her ear, "I was wrong about what I wrote about it that entry. I don't give a damn if you're Resha Valentine – to me, you'll always be Elie; the same Elie that I love with every part of my body."

Elie blushed automatically. "Then why did y-you…write that?" she asked, refusing to fall for his sweet words. Haru smiled against her ear, and Elie shivered.

"Because I'm not sure how you feel about me. I didn't want you to find it and then get all weird because you didn't feel the same. But now…now, I don't care. I came too close to losing you forever to not tell you," he whispered, pulling away from her ear to smile at her. "You don't have to say it back. You don't even have to feel the same about me –"

"Kiss me."

Both of them were shocked at the request; Elie couldn't even believe it had come out of her mouth, and Haru just looked confused.

"Ha…ru, I love you. More than any…one," she whispered, staring at him. Recovering from his shock, Haru smiled, and leaned in slowly. When his lips met hers, Elie felt all the pain she had been feeling disappear.

The teenager kissed his best friend slowly and gently, one hand on her cheek to steady himself, and the other on the bed to support himself. When they pulled away, both of them were blushing, but smiling.

"I know why Lucia keeps licking his lips around you – I don't think it's possible to forget something that sweet," he told her, laughing. Elie's blushed deepened, but she laughed with him, feeling light. "Are you still in pain?"

Elie shook her head, slowly sitting up. "No. Everything hurt a while ago, but now everything feels fine," she told him, remembering when Sieg had tried to kill her. Haru grinned, remembering as well. "And this time, I haven't been poisoned."

"Yeah, thank God it was just Etherion – that's nothing compared to a little poison," Haru replied sarcastically. Elie laughed, running a hand through her hair. "You're so beautiful, Elie," he told her softly, blushing.

She blushed as well, slowly slipping out of bed and placing a hand on Haru's shoulder to steady herself. Looking down at her clothes, she frowned – this wasn't what she had been wearing. Haru explained that Julia and Belnika had given her sponge baths every night, because they knew she wouldn't want to sleep for five days straight without bathing.

"Elie, can I ask you something?" Haru asked, standing up and looking down at her. Elie smiled and nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "Will you promise to never my side? I couldn't live with myself if you went off and got hurt. Not during the upcoming battle…"

Elie laughed, grabbing onto his hand. "I wasn't planning on leaving anyways," she told him. Haru grinned down at her, leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips again.

"I love you, Elie."

"I love you too, Haru."

~x~

**Author's Note: I'm fairly proud of this story, really. I got the inspiration from listening to my 'brothers' girlfriend complain that he didn't love her enough, and honestly, I couldn't manage to find a way to kill it. Though, I really do like how it turned out. Expect a prequel about Haru's journal!  
**


End file.
